Conventionally, as a means for engaging a slider in a closed state of a slide fastener, an engagement device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (JP-Y) No. 44-21609 (Patent Document 1) or U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,076 (Patent Document 2), where an engagement protrusion is formed to protrude on an upper surface of a top stopper and an engagement hole is formed in the engagement protrusion by puncturing, where the engagement protrusion is inserted into a window hole formed in a handle of the slider and, after that, an engagement means is attached to the engagement hole, thereby fixing, the slider to the top stopper.
If the slider engagement device disclosed in Patent Document 1 or 2 is used for a slider for a slide fastener of a sack containing, for example, shells or the like, the slider is prevented from being moved indiscriminately. Therefore, the slider engagement device can be effectively used so that an accident such as dropout or the like of the shells or the like caused by the spontaneous opening of the slide fastener may be prevented.
However, in such a conventional engagement device, the slide fastener is effective in that, when the slide fastener is in the closed state, the slider is fixed so as to maintain the closed state. In order to open the slide fastener again, the engagement means is released, and the handle is released from the engagement protrusion. By manipulating the handle, the slider is allowed to slide, so that the slide fastener is opened. However, these manipulations are complicated. As a slide fastener which reforms this problem, a slide fastener capable of fixing and releasing the handle to and from the top stopper by simpler manipulation is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (JP-U) No. 54-10305 (Patent Document 3).
According to Patent Document 3, a window is provided at the center of a handle main body of a handle supported on an upper surface of a slider. In addition, a pair of the left and right cantilever engagement pieces which are formed to extend toward the front end of the handle are provided in the window, and a knob portion is formed at the front end of the handle by folding the free end portion upwards and, after that, bending in the horizontal direction. Since the knob portion is formed, the handle can be easily handled by finger tips. On the other hand, a column part is formed to protrude on an upper surface of the top stopper, and an attachment/detachment head for elastically deforming and engaging the pair of the left and right cantilever engagement pieces so as to be widened is formed at the end portion.
In addition, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (JP-Y) No. 51-9365 (Patent Document 4), unlike the aforementioned Patent Document 3, a column part having an attachment/detachment head on the upper portion thereof, which is engaged with a pair of left and right cantilever engagement pieces formed in a window portion of a handle main body, is formed to protrude on the upper surface of the end portion of the rear opening side of the slider body. As a result, although the slider is located at any position of the slide fastener without limitation to the positions where the upper and lower engagement means are located, only if the handle is engaged with the column part, the floating of the handle can be prevented.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (JP-Y) No. 44-21609
Patent Document 2: U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,076
Patent Document 3: Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (JP-U) No. 54-10305
Patent Document 4: Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (JP-Y) No. 51-9365